By: Karen Musclow

A fun way to teach patterning is to cut a few sponges into various shapes (ex. square, triangle, circle) to paint with. Pour some paint into a wide container and get a large piece of paper. When I did this, I started a pattern and then had T finish it. We did this a few times and then T created patterns for me to finish. If you’re just beginning to teach patterning, you’ll want to use only 1 color of paint with 2 shapes, or 1 shape with 2 colors. Later, you can use multiple shapes and colors. When finished with the lesson, let the child go to town with the leftover paint and sponges for an art activity—you get 2 activities in 1!